And They Lived Happily Ever After?
by bunny chan
Summary: it's a LJ lovehate relation only you don’t get lovehatelovehate thing. You get nearly hate all the way and… er, love right at the end. read and review, please!
1. Introduction

**And They Live Happily Ever After…?**

  '…And they live happily ever after. The end,' Lily read aloud from her big fairy-tale cook her father got her for Christmas. 'I wish I'll get a good husband – or better, prince – like Cinderella.' Someone laughed loudly behind her. Lily spun around angrily.

  'I'd like to see someone marry you! You're such a tomboy, and I don't think anyone would even _like you to begin with! Hahahahahaha!' the boy said, laughing even louder. Lily gritted her teeth._

  'Shut up, James! Who gave you rights to eavesdrop me?' Lily yelled savagely.

  James Potter laughed even louder and began choking after a while on his orange juice. After resuming himself, the boy threw his head and began laughing again.

  'Haha! You! Haha! A _wife! Hahaha!!!' James cried, pointing a finger at Lily._

  Lily Evans felt her tiny eight-year-old head boiling in frustration and anger. She stood up at once on the maroon sofa and jumped off it, skillfully landing like a cat. In less than a minute, she began chasing James, her big fairytale book in hand.

  'Come back here, James!!! I'm going to _kill_ you!!! I'll tear you from your skin, and I'll pull your muscles from your bones, and I'll _crush_ your bones to death!!!!' she cried shrilly.

  'I am so, so scared!' James mocked, making a face at her. Lily swung the heavy book around to hit his head. She missed.

  'Lily! How many times must I tell you, don't act so rashly!' Lily mother cried sharply. Lily froze rigidly in a mid-swing. James would've died laughing at the look on her face now! It was priceless!

  'He called me a tomboy!' the little girl wailed. Lisa Evans sighed.

  'Then prove to him that you're not,' she said flatly, leaving for the kitchens. 'You may hurt his feelings, Lily. After all, his parents just died.'

  'Yeah, I'm a poor ickle orphan, tomboy,' James said mockingly to Lily.

  'Grr… DIE, JAMES POTTER!!!' Lily yelled, her green eyes flashing savagely as she swung her book again. James pulled a face at her.

  'Miss me, miss me!' he sang.

  Lily dropped the book, realizing that she's never winning with that heavy thing as a burden. She ran towards James (he gasped, thinking that she was going to attack him) and pointed an accusing finger at him. James nearly laughed with relief.

  'Moron!' she yelled.

  'Tomboy!'

  'Asinine!'

  'Bovine!'

  'Ferine!'

  'Tigrine!'

  At this point, both were already pulling each other's hair.

  'CHILDREN!' Lisa cried. 'Do stop arguing! You are distracting me from my work!

  'Exactly,' James said calmly with smooth sarcasm. 'Stop distracting your mother, tomboy, or she'll burn right through the edge. Aren't you going to love me for this wonderful piece of advice?'

  'I never ever will love you!' Lily gritted savagely. With that, she turned her head, nose in air, and stormed up the stairs and into her bedroom.

~ * * ~

  'Well, whaddyou know! She's a witch, too!' James said brightly when Lily came down the stairs sleepily, a letter in green ink in hand.

  The eleven-year-old girl had bright red hair, trimmed neatly to her chin. They hung numbly, making her look almost innocent with her big green eyes that bore curiously into almost everything and looked as if they can read your soul and everything you think. Her leveled fringe was pinned neatly to the side to create a clearer picture of her sweet, innocent-looking face.

  However, one thing that must be known is to NOT judge a book by its cover. Lily isn't as sweet as she looked.

  'Shut up, James,' Lily scowled. 'Petunia, do me a favour: eat up James's scramble eggs, and don't leave him anything.'

  Without a word, seven-year-old Petunia took James's plate and ate it hungrily. James frowned as he see the blonde girl wallow into his breakfast disgustingly.

  'Oh. Wow. Great appetite, horsie,' he said sarcastically.

  'James, don't be rude,' Lisa said without looking up from her paper.

  'Where's dad?' Lily asked, looking for her father who had just returned from his trip yesterday.

  'Left early for a plane to Alaska.'

  'Lovely. I hope he remembers us,' Lily muttered resentfully, sitting down. Lily's father was always traveling around. He was a business man, and a very successful one, at that. He was never around much.

  'Er, egg?' James offered, hoping that Lily would forget about Billy Evans. After all, Lily's disappointed face isn't as sweet as it was when she was angry. He like seeing the shades transfiguring: dark orange, blue, red. Now _that_ is certainly interesting, because Lily's lips will thin out and her head will swell. Like a bullfrog.

  'No, I want bread,' Lily said, reading for the bread and butter.

  'You're a witch, huh?' James said in attempt to strike a conversation around the quiet table. 'That letter. I received one myself this morning.'

  'Oh, good for you, then.'

  'Are you going to Hogwarts, then? Can I go?' James said, turning to Lisa.

  'Anything you wish,' Lisa replied. 'How's it like to be a wizard, James?'

  'Probably boring,' Petunia piped.

  'Probably not, because you don't seem to be one,' James muttered under his breath.

  'Probably not, Petunia. I can turn you into a toad,' Lily said to her sister. 'And then I'll stomp at you, so that you die under my feet, crushed flat like a pancake. Hah!' The redhead grinned in satisfaction at herself. She hated Petunia more than she hated James.

  'Yeah! Or maybe we might turn your dolly into that closet monster you've been telling us about,' James added evilly. 'Ngarrrh!!!!' Needless to say, he too, hated Petunia. Lily's grin broaden.

  Petunia's blue eyes began watering.

  'Just kidding only,' Lily said hastily, catching her mother's eye. 'We won't do that. Um. Er. Yeah, we might not do that.'

  Petunia sent a smirk over. 'Mummy, is Lily a good witch or a bad one? Is James?'

  'I'm a good one,' Lily said at once.

  'So'm I!' James added. Hurriedly. Petunia stared at them, as if sizing them up.

  'I think you two are bad! Bad to the core! And bad witches should be burned! I read it in my book!'

  'Now Tunia, Lily and James are nice, aren't they? They are so sweet to you,' Lisa said. The two snorted into their chocolate milk, giggling secretly at each other.

  'Very,' Lily choked, controlling a laughter.

  'She's lying, mummy! She wants to turn me into a toad!' Petunia cried. 'We should burn them!'

  'Petunia darling! She's your sister! And James is so, so sweet to you!' Lisa said in surprise, horrified at her younger offspring.

  Lily and James exchanged horrified glances. James's face read, "Me? Sweet???" and Lily's face read, "You? Sweet???"

  'Witches are evil! We should kill them! Burn—'

  'Yeah. By the time you gather your firewood (which I'm sure there's none in this place), I'll be eating roasted chicken of which I would transfigure from darling Petunia,' James said loudly. 'What d'you say, Lily?'

  'Well… I say that you should invite me along.'

  'Ah, um, yeah,' James said doubtfully.

  '_I_ say that I'll cook you two in my oven!' Lisa replied. 'Come, Petunia, let's buy you your new bag. Honestly, I haven't got an idea how yours went into tatters just like that…' Petunia bounced to the door happily, pulling a face at the two eleven-year-olds before leaving with a laugh.

  'Why did _she _get a new bag?' Lily complained after the car drove out of the driveway. 'I mean, she just had a new one!'

  'Because she ate her?' James suggested.

  'You're right. She probably chewed it like horse hay, you know. I didn't expect her, looking like a horse face and having a rather horse-like teeth, to have horse appetite as well! I mean, LOOK! She's talking!'

  'Well, the next thing you know, she'll be neighing!'

  'Right. And what, turn all brown and go on all fours?'

  'If we transfigure her, that is.'

  Silence. Neither had any idea of what to talk or do. Bored, James stood up and stretched.

  'C'mon, tomboy, I'll race you to Sirius's house,' James said, running off, his shoes in his hand and his legs bare. Lily jumped up at once.

  'I'M NOT A TOMBOY!' she screeched. 'And you're cheating!!! Hey, wait for me!' With that, she too slammed the door, grabbed her shoes and ran down the street, bare-footed.

~ * * ~

  BANG! James threw the white door open noisily and ran in, shoes in hand. Lily appeared soon after, panting heavily. Sirius Black, who was enjoying himself with the art of flower arranging (he stuffed the weed and foxgloves in a very… um, artful manner that only no one would appreciate) on the table jumped up in surprise before staring his friends in surprise.

  'What was that, a hurricane? Or was it you, Sirius, doing some prank without me?' Spica Black called, running into the living room excitedly. Sirius rubbed his eyes.

  'Spice, tell me I'm dreaming. James and Lily are wearing their shoes on their hands. James has bird mess on his hair and Lily's hair looked like some bird nest. I'm dreaming, right?' Sirius said, gaping at the two, who were now gasping for oxygen.

  'Erm, no?' his sister suggested doubtfully. 'I mean, I may be dreaming, too.'

  'Huff – I – pant – win – huff – you –huff – gasp – ha – pant – ha – huff – ha,' James gasped.

  'You – gasp – huff – cheat – pant,' Lily shot in a slow-motion manner. 'I – huff – water – pant – want.'

  'I water want?' Sirius repeated.

  'Water want I?' Spica said. 'Never make much sense, does it?'

  'Want I water? Nah.' Lily shook her head.

  'Perhaps "I want water"?' Spica tried. Lily and James nodded vigorously at that. Sirius ran to the kitchen and returned in 10 seconds with two glasses of water, supposedly soda since it's brimming with bubbles. Their friends took a swig of it.

  'UGH!!! What water is this???' James cried, coughing the chlorine-tasting liquid. Sirius grinned.

  'Something by the name of soap water.' Lily sprayed the liquid at Spica's face.

  'Sorry. What did you say? You gave us SOAP WATER?!' Lily yelled.

  'Technically, yes. The posters stuck on walls these days call "Save Water!" and, coincidentally, there was a bowl of soap water mum just used. How does it taste like? Nice?' Spica asked innocently.

  'Spice – no, Spica Black – I understand that you're eleven, like us, and is much, much stupider than any of us here (I mean, besides your brother), but how would you enjoy drinking alkaline?' James asked. The twins thought for a while.

  'It might be nice,' Sirius said, after the while.

  'Possibly tasty,' Spica added. 'You shouldn't have wasted it on them, Sirius, but what's done is done…' She sighed sadly.

  Lily stared at her glass distastefully. 'Normally, I wouldn't do this, but under certain circumstances - eg. THIS - I will. You can have it back. I appreciate the, uh, mouth-cleaning service you offered, all the same.'

  'You can take this, too,' James said, pushing his glass into Sirius's hand.

  The twins stare at each other. In a second, before Lily could even open her mouth, they gulped the soap water down.

  Lily and James blinked worriedly at them.

  'Okay...' Spica said.

  'A little too soapy,' Sirius commented, draining the very last bubbles.

  'Lovely, all the same,' Spica said cheerfully.

  'It's a huge mistake,' James groaned to Lily. 'I feel terribly sick!'

  'Well, if we don't give it to them, we'll be drinking it,' Lily said reasonably. James nodded in agreement. 'Better them than us, see?'

  'Hey, d'you get a letter this morning, James?' Sirius asked, 'Or is Jimmy a squib?' James punched Sirius playfully.

  'Me? A squib? You've got to be kidding! Yeah, I got my letter and - surprise, surprise! So did Lily!' he grinned. 'Never dreamed that that tomboy is a witch, na-uh!' Lily clenched her fingers.  'Potter, you are as close as this' - she showed the distance between them - 'to get a pounding.'

  'Yes, and that is very far, because I'm here and you're there,' James said easily.

  'Oh, I can run, you know,' Lily said, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. 'After all, if I fail to punch you, I should at least be able to grab your glasses.'

  'Aren't you ever bored of fighting?' Spica asked.

  'No,' they replied in unison.

  'We're not fighting anymore,' Lily explained, choking laughter.

  'No, we're disagreeing! Besides, we're friends!' James said brightly. He paused. 'Well, at most times. But what's fun in the gloomy house then, without our constant squabbles over who gets the video game? We're just... Spicing life up!'

  'Driving Mrs.Evans up the wall is pretty cruel,' Sirius said notedly.

  'My mum hasn't clawed the walls YET. Once she did, we'll stop.'

  'Speaking of claws, we're going to buy a new owl!' Spica said excitedly.

  'Yep! A brown one, perhaps. Let's call it "Se-tew-pid" (Stupid),' Sirius grinned.

  'Oh, so when I want to refer to the three of you, I'll say Triple S?' Lily said.

  'For Stupid, Saneless and Sick,' James sniggered. 'Sirius is Stupid, Spica is Saneless, and your new owl can be Sick! Delirious!' Lily and James both rolled over with laughter at their joke, but the Black twins glared.

  'It is so witty I forgot to laugh,' Sirius said bad-naturedly.

  'Really? Maybe your funny bone broke,' Lily grinned, picking herself up.

  'Poor, poor Sirius!' James cooed. Spica gagged.

  'Him? Pitiful? UGH!' the girl cried. Sirius slapped her shoulder in reply.

  'I'm older than you by three minutes! You can't insult the big bro!' he said in a I-am-high-and-mightier-than-you voice.

  'Hmph! Whatever!'

~ * * ~

  'Now, be good, don't annoy anyone and study hard, okay?' Lisa said to Lily and James. The usual motherly nag. The two children gave her a saintly smile.

  'Mummy, you forgot the don't argue part,' Petunia said. They (Lily and James, of course) frowned at her, but decided to deal with her later. After all, there's a good reason why wizard tricks are good: so that they can torture insolent-witches-must-be-burnt muggles like Petunia with.

  'Yes, don't argue, dearies,' Lisa said. 'I'll get Sirius and Spica to watch over you two.'

  'Yes, yes, mum, whatever, say anything you like, mum, but we're going to be drasticly late if you don't stop it,' Lily said impatiently but not too rudely. 'It's nearly eleven.'

  'Ah, yes. So I leave you here, okay? Bye! Study hard!'

  'Sour grape Petunia,' Lily muttered when Lisa drove off and Petunia pulled a face at the windscreen. 'She's making like a living hell ever since that owl nearly bowled her over her chair!'

  'That's Petunia,' James replied shortly. 'And as for the station...'

  'NYAH!' Sirius yelled suddenly. Lily and James raised their voices to shrill screams at the very sight of their friend. Not because they were frightened - not THEY! - as they ahd seen worse back home. No, Sirius had only half of his body!

  'G-g-g-GHOST!!!!' was the only word they can stutter. Sirius cackled madly.

  'No, morons. You'll be late if you don't hurry,' he replied good naturedly. 'Come on in!'

  'Good statement,' James stammered, 'but how?'

  'Walk!' Spica's voice called merrily. 'Hurry up! On one... two... three!!!'

  Without warning and in utter blindness of fright for Lily and James, two pairs of arms reached from the seemingly solid wall, blutched the trolleys and pulled them in. James and Lily followed rather jerkily, their palms still gripping the handles.

  Almost magically, a whole new world was transformed before them. Lily stared in amazement at the giant scarlet train, chugging and puffing smoke. What attracted her attention was the steam.

  'Look! Steam engine!' Lily cried excitedly.

  'If you stand any longer, the train'll chug off without you,' Spica said. 'Come on, Lily, into the compartment!' The raven girl happily pushed Lily into her (Spica's) compartment and dumped the luggage after her. Owly the Owl's cage bonked onto Lily's head none too lightly.

  After stars and birds, cuckoo calls and angel wings, Lily shook back to reality. 

  'What's your explanation, huh? Drag my trolley, wrap me up in tissue, and--mphf? MPHFE!!!!!!' James was muffled with a red apple Sirius shoved to keep him quiet. He (James) was also bandaged to resemble a poorly wrapped mummy from the ancient Egyptian tombs.

  'Haha! You're dead!' Lily mocked, recovering from the whack on the head. 'Hahaha! A mummy! Jimmy the mummy!'

  'Mmphf!' James glares, struggling to move. A bad wrapper as Sirius is, he had wrapped his friend from neck down so that James could hardly move. Lily was enjoying herself by playing "tumber" in which James is the "Tumber". The game was simply: just push the person until s/he drops. In James's condition, it was easy.

  James was not pleased at all.

~ * * ~

  'Tomboy? In Gryffindor?' James said in amazement. 'I was expecting Hufflepuff. In which case is she brave?'

  'In bashing you?' Sirius suggested. 'And, besides, in which case is she loyal? Hah!'

  'She's loyal to herself in killing me. Oh wait, that's not the right usage of word,' James said. 'Oh well, at least she's not smart.'

  'Neither are you,' Sirius yawned. 'You're as stupid as stupid can be, which is saying enough to the brilliance of the mind.' James snorted. Sirius is the opposite to the adjective sane. He had no rights to criticise how stupid he, James Potter, is i his current - and other - state of mind.

  James told Sirius of his thoughts. Sirius replied with not words but a big, fluffy pillow in his face.

  'Would you two please SHUT UP?!' Tippy Gleste yelled.

  The two said ones turned to each other and began signalling hand signals to each other.

James's read: Are we talking?

Sirius: We barely opened our mouth!

James: So who's he asking to shut up?

Sirius: I don't know. Himself?

  Tippy ignored their hand signals. Silence was all he want from the two of them, nothing more. More over, he had not a clue of what they were signalling to each other.

~ * * ~

  'I got Owly first! I send first!' Lily was heard screeching.

  'I own three-quarteds of Owly! I ought to send first!' James retorted.

  'I promised to send mum a letter and Petunia a Howler!'

  'I'm trying to subscribe to Daily Prophet! Let go of Owly, Lily!'

  'Shan't! You do it!'

  'Shan't!'

  The two of them glared at each other ferociously, their owl, Owly, clung in bewilderment between them, its brown feather ruffled messily. The Gryffindors at the table were staring at them in shock.

  'Owly came to ME, you moron!' Lily yelled.

  'Why would Owly like a stupid tomboy like YOU?' James countered.

  'A better reason for him to avoid some lunatic derangged psycho like you!'

  'What?! You stupid, fat monster!'

  'What?! You free-loader pig of--mmpf!' Lily was muffled by Sirius.

  'Ssh! Professor McGonagall's looking this way!' Spica whispered.

  'Pfoffsher foo?' Lily coughed.

  'McGonagall! The tiger that brought us to--'

  'Oh, her,' James said. 'Well, I'll take Owly, then!' Lily bit Sirius's hand so that he'll pull it from her mouth in pain. It worked.

  'No you won't! You're doing some stupid subscription! I'm sending family letter! In matter of importance, mine comes first!'

  'It's important to keep up-to-date! Better mine than yours!'

  'Why, you ungrateful wimp...!'

  'You insulting tomboy...!'

  The dagger-glaring competition began again as they bare their teeth at each other like dogs. They even made the growling voice, and had half the Gryffindors thinking that they'll start woof-woofing and aruuu-ing in two shakes of a lamb's tail. And Professor McGonagall was already marching towards them.

  'What are you two doing?' McGonagall yelled. Lily and James ignored her. They began hissing at each other. The Gryffindors grinned in amusement. They can expect some baa-ings soon, perhaps?

  Professor McGonagall, however, furious at being ignored, yelled even more loudly, 'MISS EVANS AND MISTER POTTER, KINDLY RESUME BREAKFASTING OR JUST GET OUT!'

  They ignored her again.

  'Um, professor,' Spica began, 'I don't think it'll be much use. Once they start, there's no stopping to it until they stop it themselves.'

  'DETENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' Sirius looked horrified at the sudden outburst. A sixth year caught his surprised features.

  'It's mainly all she ever says when she's at a fury anger,' the boy explained.

  'YOU! HAROLD GISH! DETENTION!' McGonagall screeched.

  'See, I told you so,' Harold said carelessly.

  'Owly is MINE!' Lily shrieked.

  'No, he's MINE!' James yelled.

  'My business is more important!'

  'Hah! Mine is a million times more important!'

  'Mine is infinite!'

  'Mine is infinite times infinite!'

  'Mine is infinite times a zillion times infinite!'

  'I told you they never stop,' Sirius shrugged. 'Spica, get Owl and let's dye it purple!'

  Spica grabbed the owl and pulled out her wand. 'Don't you think that pink looks nicer? More stylish, perhaps?'

  'No, purplish blue is Just Fine,' Sirius said confidently. Spica shook her head.

  'I insist on pink!'

  'Purple!'

  'Pink!'

  And so another detention was issued and a new battle over Owly the Popularly Wanted Owl began. Professor McGonagall nearly pulled all her hair up, if the Headboy hadn't already brought poor Owly away to the Owlery.

~*~

AN: I can safely say that this story isn't as good as Masquerade, because IT ISN'T! It's a fair bit sillier, because it is, after all, a L/J love-hate story! It does get boring, yes, but I don't think there's yet a love/hate fic like this yet! :) maybe you'd like to clarify this bit for me, yes?

Anyway, please review for me!!!!! At least, let me know you read it [hate it or not!]


	2. Confession

**And They Live Happily Ever After…?**

    James stared at the white wall of the Gryffindor common room, thinking pensively. He is now thirteen and in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The school's name wasn't at all that bad, anyway, besides being long and called Hogwarts. At least, James had found out, that they don't keep any hogs with warts nor warts with hogs anywhere in the school.

  'A penny - er, sorry, sickle - for your thoughts?' Sirius asked, slumping into the sofa next to James's. James looked up at his friend before reverting his gaze to the wall again.

  'Nothing.'

  'There's got to be something,' Sirius insisted. 'You don't space out very often!'

  'Nothing, I said!'

  'Hurry up and tell me before I get my planetary charts out to read your mind,' Sirius said, grinning. 'We all know how great Sirius Black is in Divination now, don't we? Hm? Surely you don't want to know you future-'

  'Shut up, Sirius. Yes, you're superbly great at Divination. Who cares? You ace, I flunk. Obvious! Don't rub it in.'

  Sirius stared at him.

  'Let me guess... is it about Lily?'

  James looked up in surprise and horror. 'Since when have you turned telepathic, huh? I always knew that you couldn't eat dog biscuits without killing brain cells,' James grunted.

  'Aah... but you've always been thinking about Lily,' Sirius said brightly, ignoring the dog biscuits part. 'Insults, at most. Your "tomboy, tomboy!" has gotten rather old, you know.'

  'Yes, I do know. So what's your problem?'

  'Get a new insult.'

  'What if I don't want a new one? What if I'm thinking about- about something else?'

  'No. There's seriously nothing else but Lily,' Sirius replied with confidence. 'Right?' he added, meekly.

  'Er, maybe.'

  'So what is on your mind? You know you can trust me.'

  'Lily.'

  'Aha!!!' Sirius exclaimed gleefully, but hastily shut up and added, 'um, what about her?'

  James eyed his friend doubtfully, debating with himself whether or not he could trust him. He finally decided that he could, since Sirius had a talent to forgetting things that is not of his business or had nothing to do with him in any way.

  'I think I'm in love with her.'

  'Yes, sure you are, Potter. In love with her, HAH.'

  'Well, I think I am,' James said quietly.

  Sirius blinked. And blinked. And then felt James's forehead for a temperature. Finding none, he began gaping like a goldfish.

  'No. No. I don't believe it. You are joking with me, right? I mean, you HATE Lily. How can you be in LOVE with Lily?' Sirius asked incredously.

  'I don't know! I hate her, really, but I realize that I sort of love her, too,' James confessed in, of course, confusion. 'I don't know HOW it happened (and not wanting to know why and when, either), but it just did. It's came to me right out of the blue!'

  'Er, uh, um, so you're, ee, serious about this? Not a joke? Some prank to pull my leg?'

  'Yes, no, no. Get it?'

  Sirius took a deep breath. 'Okay. Okay, so, when do you actually realize that? Just now? Details, please!'

  'Er, I'm not so sure. I THINK it's love, anyway. Each time i see her, m heart thumps faster and whenever we talk, I feel a--'

  'Shut up, shut UP!!! I didn't ask for details!!!!' Sirius yelled. He started scratching all over. 'I'm growing goosebumps everywhere!'

  'You asked for details,' James said bluntly. 'I still can't believe I'm in love with Lily,' he muttered resentfully to himself. Then he added, 'It's NOT fun to fall in love with your childhood friend (er, not really, but never mind) and current enemy! NOT!' Sirius winced.

  'Ugh, you are DISGUSTING. I can't believe we're having this conversation.'

  'Any good advice?'

  'No. No. I'm NOT a master in this. Yeah, like I walk around with the title of "God Of Love" or Goddess or whatever it really was.' He paused. 'Why don't you just tell Lily what you told me?'

  'And get a bash on my head,' James added darkly. 'No, not my idea of getting over her.'

  'Well, you can try to fall for someone else,' Sirius suggested. 'Plenty of fish around. Or just forget her, or ignore her and all.'

  'Thanks, you've been a great help,' James said dryly. Sirius missed the sarcasm.

  'Sure, anytime, anywhere, any when,' he said with a careless wave. 'Just don't talk to me about it AGAIN.'

~ * * ~

  'What about me again? Last week you send Owly to Merlin-Knows-Where your stupid pen-pal and Owly was near death! It's my turn now!' Lily yelled, standing up on the sofa. Yes, ON the sofa, like an immature toddler of five. But toddlers of five are always immature, so it isn't really the point.

  'Well Gusuchi asked for IMMEDIATE reply!' James yelled. 'You're merely ordering a new broom from Diagon Alley!'

  Three years ago, this argument would have drawn spectators, lectures, detentions and possible deduction of house points. Now all it draws is just a headache for Owly, who is being constantly fought for.

  'You monster!'

  'Lobalug!'

  'Tomboy!'

  'Freeloader!'

  Oh, yes, the insults still rages on, though. Still, words never affect anyone physically, apart from hurting Lily and James's uh, VERY deep down feelings. People ignore them, because their names weren't Lily and James, nor do they deserve adjectives such as, say, "tomboy" and "freeloader."

  'Why you...!' Lily gritted, pulling out her wand. 'Expelliarmus!'

  James was shot backwards by the beam. He picked himself up and drew his wand. 'Serpensortia!' Nothing happened. Obviously, James had pronounced it wrongly.

  'Grr!'

  'Grr!'

  Lily pulled James's nest hair and James pulled Lily's ponytail. Sirius and Spica sighed wistfully as the two yelling in pain, but still upon stubbornness persistance refused to let go.

  'They'll NEVER finish,' Sirius sighed.

  Lily now sunk her teeth into James's arm. James began bashing her on her head violently in pain. James pulled Lily's hair even more violently, forcing Lily to let go of his arm.

  'Let me go!' Lily shrieked, clawing at his hand.

  'You let me go first!' James yelled, trying to pull her gripping fingers from his hair. Sirius stood up.

  'Alright, alright, BREAK IT UP!' Sirius said urgently. 'Let go of your hands! Both of you!' They refuse to even budge. 'OBEX!!!' he yelled. James and Lily practically bounced off each other. Spica ran to James to tend his wounds (if he has any).

  'Are you okay?' Spica asked, helping him up.

  'Yeah. How's Lily?' James asked, dusting himself.

  'Stupid idiots to fight,' Sirius muttered. 'As if insults aren't enough!'

  'Er, whatever. Is Lily okay?'

  'Ugh...My head's pain...' Lily moaned, stirring half-consciously. The other Gryffindors paid no attention. Either it was because they're all stupid or they're totally immune to sound and whatever that happens around them at the moment. Sirius ran to her as James could barely stand yet.

  'Uh, James?' Sirius gulped. 'She's - her head's b- b- b- bleeding.' With that, Sirius dropped in a faint with a thud.

  'Ah,' Spica noted, 'Sirius is afraid of blood.'

  'Well, what are we waiting for?' James said impatiently.

  'Waiting for what?'

  'The hospital wing!'

  'Oh, um, yeah. Er, how?'

  James groaned. Asking for Spica's hlp is like asking for no one's help. He grabbed his wand.

  'Mobiliarcorpus,' he muttered at Lily and Sirius before heading towards the Hospital wing.

~ * * ~

  'You again,' Madam Pomfrey said when she saw James. Sirius floated in like a ghost, followed by Lily.

  'Aaah!' the nurse shrieked in fright. 'James Potter, what did you DO?'

  'Um, Sirius fainted because he saw blood, and Lily, er, she had a bad headache.' Pomfrey frowned.

  'Lay them on the bed. And don't--'

  Bonk! Sirius's head graced the ceiling ungracefully.

  '--hit the ceiling,' Pomfrey finished with a groan. 'Oh well, never mind.' James grinned at her sheepishly before dropping Lily and Sirius on the bed not-too-gently.

  'Oops,' was all James could say to Madam Pomfrey's death-glare.

  'Oof!' Lily cried, holding her head. 'Yow... Potter, you're going to pay dearly for this! ... ugh...'

  'Quiet, Evans, and let me see your head,' Pomfrey said briskly, turning Lily's face aside to check her head.

  'Yes, yes. What's Sirius doing there?'

  'Um, he fainted,' James said. 'I must say, it's a pretty long faint. Must be because his head hit the ceiling.'

  Lily just nodded as Madam Pomfrey left her, satisfied with the few common bruise at the back of the girl's head. It was a better one than finding some weird worms living in her hair, because of James's hexes.

  'You stay here for a night, Evans and Potter,' the nurse said, 'You two are seriously insane. And I mean serious. With all the hexes and whatnots.'

  'What difference does it make?' James whimpered, not liking any of Madam Pomfrey's medicine.

  'I'm giving you "Sane Medicine" especially formulated with magical herbs.'

  'Ah,' Lily said, not pleased with the sound of "magical herbs."

  'And don't try to run, Potter. I'm placing a spell in here,' Pomfrey said sharply when James inched to the door. James meekly mouse back to the chair. 'Now let me brew you your medicine.'

  'Oh, LOVELY. We're getting a sane taste of medicine,' Lily said dryly. 'I wonder if it's sane, as in, sweet, instead of bitter.'

  James said nothing, but stared at the floor boringly, a thought currently on his mind. Lily went on ranting about the dumbness of the medicine and the uselessness and a waste of plant's lives it is to them.

  Meanwhile, James reflected to Sirius's words... Should he tell Lily (that he loved her) or just forget her? The feeling has been growing since the past few days.

  '...and--James, are you listening to me?' Lily said in annoyance.

  'Huh? Oh, yes, I am. Um, what about, er, that?' James said rather dumbly. Lily glared..

  'I was giving a superbly grand speech on Poppy Pomfrey's "Sane Medicine", Potter.'

  'Er, yeah. It's very, um, interesting. And nice.'

  'You are NOT listening to me!'

  'And?'

  'What are you thinking about?' Lily demanded.

  'That's my business,' James replied, poking a tongue at her.

  'Tell me! You were staring at me! Tell me!'

  James decided to ignore her and returned to his train of thoughts. If he confesses to Lily, what have he to lose? Nothing. Positively not a friend, because Lily isn't a full-time friend unless when the two are joining forces against Petunia and Cassiopeia Black, Sirius and Spica's younger sister who is now two years old, nearly three.

  'You tell, James! I know it's about me!'

  'Would you shut up? I'm trying to think!' James snapped.

  'I won't and I don't want to! I want to know what you're thinking. NOW.' Annoying busybody tomboy. How on earth did he manage to fall in love with her anyway? One of Earth's greatest mystery.

  'Shut. Up,' James said in a tone that meant Serious Business. Placing a Silencing Charm would be completely useless because of two factors: 1) Without words to go with, Lily's face would look very comical; 2) He hadn't mastered the charm, and if she ended up being turned into something else, Madam Pomfrey will personally rearrange his face.

  Anyway, it still seem that Lily hasn't got a hang of what Serious Trouble mean.

  'Nope. I'm going to annoy you to the ends of Earth. Now tell me, or you'll get tortured!'

  Suddenly, it clicked. James had a great idea. Not only would she shut up, but she can't make faces and Madam Pomfrey couldn't kill him because he's a master at that.

  'Last warning, Evans. Shut up, or you're going to regret this a whole lot more than I'm going to,' James said solemnly.

  'No, no, no. You tell me what you're thinking, NOW,' Lily said stubbornly. Talk about ignorance.

  'Quiet!'

  'Shan't!'

  'Can't a man think in peace?'

  'You're not a man! Even if you are, the answer is no!'

  'Why not?'

  'Because you're all STUPID! Hah!'

  'I'm not! I get better marks than you do, you obstinate mule!'

  'Well, I'm not the idiot who mistook his heart line on his palm as his mount of Venus!'

  'WOULD YOU TWO PLEASE KEEP QUIET?!' Madam Pomfrey yelled. 'My potion in ruined!'

  'Hah! Score to us! She failed!' Lily whooped quietly. James, glad that the nurse had made his point of keeping quiet, began rolling his thoughts again.

  Lily frowned deeply. She never liked being ignored like that. James had left for his La-la-land three times, when she's talking. She began scanning her head for a useful spell, but found none that she can use so that Madam Pomfrey don't skin her.

  'James, I demand you to tell me what's on your mind.'

  'I said already, and I'm saying it again, Lily,' James said. 'This is your last of the last warning. Stop. Pestering. Me.'

  Lily snorted. James never really mean whatever he says.

  'Well I don't care!' she said obstinately. 'I'm going to pester you till the ends of--'

  Lily's sentence was rudely cut off. James had claimed her lips and is now savouring the warmth and sweetness of her soft lips. Being so close, he could feel her rapid heartbeat against her ribcage, her warm breath and her long eyelashes.

  Lily's green eyes just grew wider and wider in shock. What is happening--?!

  'What are you doing, you git?' Lily shrieked, pushing him away as soon as she had regained control of her senses. Her body was shivering with disgust. She instantly jumped out of the bed and grabbed her wand, breathing furiously. 'Don't come near! Do NOT move at all, Potter. You're under arrest for that- that THING you did to me just now!'

  Lily was obviously terrified beyond words of description.

  Madam Pomfrey could be heard yelling, 'SHUT UP' again as a loud explosion erupt from the small room she was working in.

  James was nearly as shock as Lily with his actions. He hadn't meant to kiss her in the first place! Just cast a simple "Petrificus totalus" and be done with it!

  'Um, Lily, I--' James said slowly, advancing towards Lily.

  'Keep away!' Lily said sharply, waving her wand threateningly at him. 'You mean to say that you didn't mean it and you're sorry and all those other crap that you're thinking, right? Well, SORRY, Mr.Potter, because that is JUST what every man says and you're probably doing it out of your own consciousness!'

  James groaned. Romantic movies and books should NOT be invented!

  'Actually--'

  'I don't want any excuse!'

  'Okay! It's not an excuse then!' James yelled, to get her attention.

  Another shriek from Pomfrey to shut up.

  Lily raised her eyes, inviting him to go on with whatever he's saying, in a lower volume.

  'I, er, mean to say that I love you,' James stammered involuntarily. 'I do, really. I didn't mean to kiss you, BUT - let me finish first, okay? - I didn't realize that I was until you pushed me off.'

  Lily's eyebrows were raised even higher.

  'Come on, you know me nearly all your life! Don't you trust me?' James pleaded.

  'No.'

  'Then you ought to know that I mean it when I said that I love you?'

  'No. And I never ever will love you,' Lily said quietly, shattering James's very heart into pieces with just those words.

~ * * ~

  Sirius stared at the gloomy James, slumped over the tree branch lifelessly, like some caterpillar, only that he didn't crawl on the branch and start eating leaves, nor do he have the feelers and many segment body. Sirius sighed.

  'Let me guess. You told Lily and she sort of freaked out, or some girl confesses her love to you and you're too nice to turn her off,' Sirius said after a long while of staring at James. James just groaned and covered his face with his hands.

  'I fake tfe firft fhoife,' he mumbled. Sirius let in sink into his brain for a moment before toppling over the branch HE was lying upon.

  'What?! When?'

  James took a deep breath and pulled his face from his hands.

  'Last night. In the infirmary,' he said, and he poured out the incidents of the night before to his best friend. Sirius listened quietly.

  'And she said those exact words she said to me five years ago!' James wailed. 'Back then, I don't care. I don't even like her, then! Now it's just shattering,' James said soberly.

  'There, there,' Sirius said, patting him sympathicly. 'I'm sure she's just taken by surprise. She didn't slap you. It's good enough.'

  'She's not sitting with me during breakfast,' James pointed out. 'And she's been glaring at me with loathe, not the usual hate.'

  'Ah.'

  'Sirius, I desperately need your help,' James said solemnly. Sirius felt like laughing at his friend's solemn face, but decided against it because of their certain circumstances.

  'What?'

  'Can you get Spica to find out why Lily's upset over boys? Please?'

  'Huh? No, wait, you don't exactly MEAN that you're still going for her after what had happened, right? I mean, seriously, she said that she won't ever love you, didn't she? So why bother?' Sirius said incredously. 'There's plenty of stars in the sky! You needn't go for just one alone! In your case, there's more than just flowers in fields. Look, there's bees, and there's butterflies, and there's the green grass and even more flowers. The world is BIG.'

  'Yes, yes, I know, but I can't ... rid of this feeling,' James said, scowling at himself and also noticing that he sounded horribly ridiculous. 'I feel disappointed-- Hang on, why must I tell you all this?'

  'Because my twin sister happen to be living in Lily's dorm, and you need ME to ask her.'

  'Fine. Where was I?'

  'Disappointed?'

  'Right. I feel disappointed, and rejected. And yet, I feel confident and even more determined to make her love me. Ugh, I feel so stupid now!'

  'You feel a lot,' Sirius commented flatly. 'Are you SURE that Madam Pomfrey's medicine didn't damage your brain and rearrange the cells?'

  'I didn't drink the medicine. I spat it out. And I think Lily did, too.'

  'Oh. Not a drop went down the throat?'

  'Not one, happy? So will you help me now?'

  'Yes. Would you like to sign a contract?'

  'No, and don't ask me anything else on that topic, or I'll pound you to mash potatoes.

  'Did someone say potatoes?' Spica asked suddenly, popping out suddenly. James fell off the branch. 'Hello!'

  'Hello,' Sirius replied.

  'Hi,' James said, picking himself up. He spotted a distinctly reddish ponytail behind the tree Spica was standing.

  'What are you talking about?' Spica asked.

  'Something. Men's talk,' Sirius said carelessly.

  'You're barely near a man,' Lily scoffed.

  'Lily!' James said happily, glad that she's still talking to him. The girl stared at him oddly.

  'Who else would I be, then?' she asked. 'By the way, Owly brought you your friend's letter from Merlin-Knows-Where.' She handed the letter over to James, who stuffed it into his robes pocket.

  'What about your broom catalogue?'

  'Oh, I got Sora from Spica to mail it for me.' James nodded dumbly before excusing himself and pulling Lily to a more secluded area from Sirius and Spica.

  'Look, Lily, I'm terribly sorry for- for kissing you last night,' James said. It was really an accident... um, I mean, I didn't mean to. I haven't got a clue on what I'm doing.'

  'Oh. So what's your problem?' Lily asked blankly.

  'I want forgiveness?' he suggested. Lily waved her hand, her way of saying "whatever" which also bear the meaning of "forgiven."

  'Is that all?' she asked.

  'I really love you, Lily.'

  'I don't,' Lily said coldly. 'I won't.'

  'Why not?'

  'Because I'll never forget the insults you call me,' Lily said, her eyes burning savagely. 'Tomboy, tigrine, dragon, idiot... just naming a few. And not to mention your words five years ago, Potter.' Lily raised her voice to a mimic, '"I'd like to see someone marry you! You're such a tomboy, I don't think anyone would even like you! Ha ha ha ha ha!"'

  'Erm, they're just teasings,' James said hesitantly. 'We tease each other a lot. And must you really add those "ha ha ha" to your mimic? It's not... er, what do you say, important.'

  'Well, the last was the very worst,' Lily said in a deadly tone. 'They're not just words, Jimmy Potter. They're sharp, stinging, bleeding words. They tear, gash and destroy. And they each bear a poison with them. If it's just teasings, you would have chosen better words.'

  With that, Lily walked off, leaving James standing numbly as her words sink in painfully into him.

~*~

AN: Uhm, believe me now that I said that this series isn't very good? And if you'd like to comment on James's weird attitude and Lily's, just take my word that it HAS happened. Okay? It happened. Right. To ME. Of course, I only take in all the insults part, but the others really happen, um… somewhere, I wager. I know it happens, that's it. Call it psychological thinking of a weird monster [aka Me]. And don't ask me how James suddenly decided that he love Lily. I really couldn't work it out [I was half-awake and half-nodding; can you imagine me concentrating? Lol]. If someone would, I'm ever so grateful! Anyway, I'll make it up sometime when I feel a little more logical, because you won't believe my unlogical reasons ^^

 So! I got this up after some… time. And I have three more chapters to go. I wonder if I can post all of these before year 2002? There's a chance, but very fat :P oh well. I'm kinda upset that some people don't like Masquerade! ^_^; well, I guess it's more of my-style, the type which I read!

 Hadn't slept for a night… *yawn* I'm so tired…!!! [oh, not to mention pretty nocturnal these days] And have fun, before I post the next chapter to my fic [if you still want to read, that is]! *yawn* I'm going to get some sleep… O_o Please review for me!


	3. Depression

**And They Live Happily Ever After…?**

  'Mr.Potter, how many times must I tell you that you shouldn't use magic in the corridors?' McGonagall cried out in exasperation, running towards them.

  'But _he_ attacked _me_ first!' James protested, pointing at Snape. Severus Snape just stuck his tongue out at him.

  'I didn't,' he drawled casually.

  'You did!' Lily accused, pointing an accusing right-hand index finger at the Slytherin.

  'Shut up, Mudblood.' Lily, James and Professor McGonagall went white with anger.

  'How dare you, Mr.Snape, to insult Evans like that before me! Detention to you and 5 points off Slytherin house,' McGonagall said sharply.

  'You little snake!' Lily hissed, balling up her hand into a small fist. 'I'll personally tear you from your bones!'

  'Fighting me, eh?'

  Lily made some odd hissing noise.

  'Why you…!' James gritted, gripping his wand tightly.

  Snape threw his head to the back and laughed madly before strutting off in a manner very likely resembling the description he'd like people to pin on him, which is the "I'm a pompous, obnoxious, huge ego-ed Slytherin and I'm proud of it. I _know_ I'm strutting, and you don't have to tell me that, because I'm just _pretending_ that I don't know that I'm strutting, you stupid fool!" style, and his hands in his pockets.

  'No walking around with your hands in your pockets!' Professor McGonagall yelled after him. Snape ignored her. 'Hey, come back here!' she called, running after the Slytherin.

  'Rotten egg,' James muttered, pocketing his wand.

  'Unhygenic git,' Lily hissed in agreement.

  'Oily Vampire.'

  'Overgrown bat.'

  'Stupid obnoxious show-off moron that deserves nothing but a punch in the face.'

  'Useless black sheep of the society and deserves a whole lot more than just a punch in the face.'

  The two nodded at each other with unsaid agreement very happily.

  'Hi, James!' Spica called, running over to them. 'Hi, Lily!'

  'What happened to Sirius this time?' Lily inquired.

  'Oh, nothing happened. He just choked on several mandrake leaves, I should think. Tomorrow's Hogsmeade visit day,' Spica said. She turned to James and fixed him a puppy-dog eye, 'Will you come with me? I'm picking up something for Sirius, and I'm not as good as you are in his taste of present.'

  James shrugged. 'Sure. Lily can come, too. She has great taste, especially for presents for Sirius.' It wasn't exactly an insult, but Lily waved it off in an annoyed fashion. Spica nearly glared.

  'I'm going to Professor Sayeen for my Divination homework,' Lily said in irritance. 'Can't go, sorry.'

  'Oh, it's okay,' Spica said cheerfully. 'So I'll see you tomorrow, James!'

~ * * ~

  After much persuasion, Sirius finally left for Three Broomsticks (James managed to bribe him with a few sickles), leaving Spica and James alone to shop for his oncoming birthday present. It was a pretty cold day, and after several attempts of telling Spica that getting Sirius some snow and dead fir tree branches is No Use because Sirius could get it anytime himself, James managed to pull her into Dervish and Banges.

  'Get this sneakoscope,' James said. 'It'll be use—'

  'Sirius already has one,' Spica replied. 'Why can't we get him the fir tree branch? It's nice!'

  'Because, idiot, it's stupid for a Christmas present. Use your head, would you? What about this mirror? He needs one very badly.'

  'Mirrors are boring,' Spica said, yawning to punctuate her sentence. James looked her over.

  'I take your word for it,' he muttered. Spica's short black hair was unruly and uncombed. Her cheeks were smudgy, and she probably hadn't noticed the ketchup sauce on her forehead yet, her souvenir from breakfast.

  'Pardon?'

  'Nothing! Let's just get him a forest cloak, since he keeps doing detention in the forest.'

  'Okay.' Spica grabbed the green cloak and paid for it at the counter. James yawned. It was such a boring shopping, and Spica isn't much of a conversationalist. He's just glad that it's over, and he can join Sirius with a frizzling cup of butterbeer. Yum. He could almost taste the warm, tantalizing sizzle on his taste buds.

  'C'mon James, let's go for a walk!' Spica suggested, skipping out of the shop. James groaned.

  'No… I'm tired!'

  'Please? There's something _really_ important I need to tell you. James raised his eyes in spite of the chilling frost, which forced him to squint his. Sirius told her about the help he needed already? That was fast, considering that he usually waited for at least one month.

  'Okay, we can go to that stile there,' James said finally, wrapping his scarf even tighter around him. Jack Frost was chilly today.

  'James, this is really important,' Spica said solemnly. 'I need to know what you think of it. Promise me that you'll give me honest opinions and answers. Go on, James, promise me.'

  James felt the hope gauge falling. Hah! High chances that she remembers what Sirius tells her, then!

  'Fine, I promise.' Spica took a deep breath.

  'I know I shouldn't have but I can't help it. I'm in love with you, James. I love you because of your caring attitude to me,' Spica said, without missing a single beat.

  'Um, excuse me?' James said in puzzlement. Spica repeated what she had just said a little more slowly.

  Open mouth. Close. Open mouth. Close. That was just what James Potter is doing: gaping.

  'You- you're joking again, aren't you?' he stammered. 'I mean, hasn't Sirius told you yet?'

  'Told me what?'

  'To find…'

  'No, he didn't say anything about anything,' Spica shrugged. 'So, what do you think, Jimmy? I think you love me, too, or you wouldn't have agreed on this date, and—'

  'This is a _date_?!' James very nearly yelled. Now the frost is really getting him.

  'Well, why, _yes_, it is. And you don't treat Lily as nice as you treat me. You call her names and insults and all, and you two are constantly arguing or else staring daggers at each other,' Spica said in her lilting British accent.

  'What?!' James was shocked. _This_ is how Spica is seeing his and Lily's relationship? **_Enemies_**?!

  Er, well, that's kind of true.

  'Um, aren't I right?' Spica said uncertainly. 'That's why I decided that you must love me, because I'm the next girl you know since childhood days. You didn't pay the other girls much attention.' She paused. 'You _do_ love me, don't you?'

  'No!' James said hurriedly, realizing at once what she meant. He was seriously wondering if her ego's as big as her twin brother's. What dreadfulness! 'I don't love you, Spice! I kind of… liked another girl.'

  'You… don't love me?'

  'No.'

  'You… love another girl?'

  'Yes.' James could tell that this conversation is sounding rather stupid. He's just merely repeating facts, and facts are boring.

  'Who's she?' Spica whispered. James quietly stared at the ground. Okay, it's not much of the facts anymore, since he might have to lie a little here. This conversation is boring. 'Tell me, James, who she is. I won't tell her.'

  'I- I can't tell,' James said uneasily.

  'Then why do you like her? What does she have that I don't?'

  James felt like saying 'a look in the mirror' but decided against it. It'll be the dumbest thing to say to a teenage girl.

  'She- she's witty,' James suggested.

  'So am I.'

  'She's smart.'

  'So am I.' Talk about big egos! She certainly has her brother's ego, then! Only that hers is a tad bit bigger.

  'She's, um, sane?' James suggested weakly. 'And she's very – um, NOT very – er, nice to me.' Spica just nodded in disappointment, knowing that she hasn't got much of sanity (and proud of it!) and could never compete anyone at that.

  'Who is she?' Spica asked finally after a long pause of awkward and boring silence. 'Do I know her?'

  'Er, yes.'

  'Is she in Hogwarts?'

  'Yes. Look, Spica, don't take this too seriously, okay?' James said worriedly.

  'Nah, I won't!' Spica said with an assuring grin.

  'Oh, send Sirius a message, would you?'

  'Sure.'

  'Tell him that I don't need his help anymore,' James said. 'I swear, your brother's an idiot!!!' Spica giggled.

  'I will, if I remembered. If you ever find out from that girl, tell me. Or if you'd confessed to her.' She stood up from the stile and gave James a peck on his cheek. 'By the way, Potter, I was just joking about loving you,' she whispered into James's ear. 'I'm currently dating Tippy Gleste, if you weren't such a daft kid to not to notice. Just thought I should find out what you've been hiding these days.'

  James's face spread into a very broad grin.

  'Why you little cheating scum!' he cried, laughing.

  'Toodles!' Spica called, running off. 'And learn to live with a joke!'

  James grinned at the girl as she ran off to join her brother at Three Broomsticks.

~ * * ~

  'Hey low!' Lily greeted cheerfully. 'So how was your day – oops, pardon, I mean _date_ – with our dear Spica?' James coughed as he strained to not to laugh, remembering the event an hour or so ago.

  'Normal,' James replied, placing his coat down.

  'I'm glad you got yourself a new girlfriend,' Lily trilled sarcastically, 'but I don't think she'll stand you calling her "tomboy." That is, if you ever DO call her tomboy. Probably too good a girl for you, huh Potter?'

  'Excuse me? Spica and I grabbed Sirius a present and left just like that! Besides, no one can ever stand being called a tomboy BUT a tomboy,' he said. 'In which you fall into such category,' he added with a self-righteous smirk.

  Lily decided to ignore him. After all, ,she get called that nearly everyday of her life, minus the few years that James and her had never met before.

  'So what did you get for Sirius? A monster in a jukebox? He'll love it.'

  'Gee, I wish I'd thought of that… no, we got him a forest cloak.'

  'Just nice for him too, since McGonagall is fond of the Forbidden Forest these days!' Lily said, holing up a white envelope. 'Mother sent us a letter. I think she's missing us this Christmas. Have you got any dungbombs left? Petunia needs to stop pestering us! I've had enough of witch burning already. Seriously, you would've thought that she read our History books to come up with all those excuses!'

  'Well, I have a boxful left,' James said, straining hard to think. Lily pulled out a white paper from the also white envelope and read the letter.

  'Er, maybe we should skip dungbombs altogether,' she gulped. 'Dad just died, and by the looks of the ink'—she turned the letter to James to show him messy blotches and streaks—'it's tear-stained.'

  'Ah! And how did he die?' James asked slowly. Lily didn't seem to care or quiver with emotion. Her face was just hard.

  'I don't know and positively don't care at all. But he didn't take care of mum at all, irresponsible muggle,' Lily gritted. 'Never really come home much.'

  'Um.' Was all James could say.

  'I don't like him THAT much anyway. I hardly even know him! Still, mum said that he left us the house and everything he own and blah blah blah,' Lily rattled boringly. James just nodded. Mr.Evans is – er, _was_ – one of the millionaires. 'Business, too, but that's for his secretary to manage. Not my problem.'

  'Your mum's in depression, though,' James said reasonably. 'We should be nice to her this holiday, and not make her get mad again.' Lily look at the letter again, as if to impend her decision.

  'True,' she said finally with a small sigh. 'This leads to no Petunia-torturing this holiday, then.'

~ * * ~

  'What took you two morons so long?' Petunia bawled, tapping her foot impatiently. 'Mum's having a fever, and I have no idea on how to deal with it! You stupid wizard and witch probably haven't got a clue, huh?'

  'She's having a fever?' Lily gasped before dashing up the stares, three at a time, all at once.

  'I knew it! You both are FRAUDS! Witch and wizard know about things! I bet you two lied and go somewhere to have fun!' Petunia said with a huge smirk on her bony cheeks.

  'We're NOT frauds! Would you like me to turn you into a toad to prove that?' James said in annoyance, dumping their trunks onto the floor.

  'Well, you are, because wizards are _suppose_ to tell the future!' Petunia snickered. James winced. Divination had never been his best subject.

  'Shut up, or I'll make you croak!'

  Lily tiptoed into her mother's room. 'Mum? Mum, are you alright?' she asked quietly, kneeling by her mother's bed.

  'I'm fine, Lily, I'm fine. Why don't you unpack first?' Lisa said, smiling weakly at her beloved daughter. Lily choked a little.

  'Why are you like this? Is it because of dad again?'

  'No, sweetie. Get some rest. You must be tired, from your journey.' Lisa coughed heavily. Lily gulped uncertainly before feeling her head for temperature. She withdraw her hand hurriedly in reaction.

  'Mum… mum, you're _burning!_ How high is your temperature?' the girl choked, biting her lips.

  'Oh, it's just a mere 40°c, dear, nothing much. I'll be okay,' Lisa said, smiling.

  'That's- that's- MUM! What did the doctor say?' Lily quivered. The temperature was high. How could her mother say that it's a mere fever? How could she? Lily's petite figure was shaking with uncertainty and with fear. What will happen?

  'I'll li- live through it,' Lisa stuttered. 'Now dear, if you don't mind, I'd like to rest for a while.' 

  'Yes, mum,' Lily whispered, standing up. 'Sweet dreams. I- I love you, mum.'

  'I love you too, Lily. Please shut the door when you go out, that's a dear.' Lily closed the door quietly and turned towards her room.

  'How is she?' James asked, when he saw Lily walking – or rather, stumbling – towards her room.

  'Bad,' Lily sighed. She bit her lips. 'Dad died, making her worry so. It's all HIS fault! I hate him! She might die, James!!! She might die! I don't want her to die,' Lily cried, shedding a few drops of tears onto James's shirt. James patted her shoulder and hugged her tightly.

  'She won't, Lily. Why would she? And why would you want her to die anyway,' James asked gently, making a feeble attempt at trying to lighten her heart. Lily looked up and glared at him sourly.

  'How? How would you know that she wouldn't die? I saw a grim in my teacup! And- and a serpent, too!'

  'The cup is yours, Lil,' James reminded. 'That's _your_ cup, not your mother's.'

  'You aren't helping at all, James Potter. Not a single bit,' Lily whispered. She blew her nose on his shirt and left for her room through the connecting bathroom. James winced, but wisely said nothing.

  Lily dropped onto her bed and stared numbly at the bookshelf. She needed to get the stupid divination thing out of her head. James was right, it was _her_ cup, not her mother's. Her green eyes traced to a thick book. She pulled it out and stared at it before turning its cover.

Dear Lily,  
Merry Christmas. Sorry I couldn't make it back.  
Love, your father.

  The girl gritted her teeth at the word "love." It was most probably her mother's love for her father, who had supposedly loved his career over everything else, that made her this sick. It's all his fault. Lily felt like ripping the page off, but couldn't bring herself to it, for some unknown reason. She flipped the thick pages to the fairytale book randomly, her green eyes staring past the book at something unseen.

  Her eyes caught a random sentence. Happily ever after.

  Instantly, she had a mind flashback of her reading the very same book, the very same sentence five years ago. She didn't really care for her father leaving, then. He was a burly, cold man with a very formal air and a man who wants to take control. He had left her a Christmas present after all, and that is all that matters.

  And James. He was taken in by Lisa, who was to be a guardian of the young Potter when his parents met an accident. Or whatever it was that she, Lily, was led to believe. James had teased her. He like teasing her.

_"You're such a tomboy, no one'll ever like you!"_ he had laughed. And then, just a month ago, he had confessed that he loved her.

  Love. That hated word. The dreaded emotion. It costs nothing – nothing! – but troubles. Now love is going to take her beautiful mother from her. The love for a man Lily hate.

  Love. Hah. Brings the topic back to James Potter.

  She'd known James ever since she was – what, three? Whatever. It doesn't really matter. James had caught her climbing a tree in the backyard. His very first word had been "Tomboy!!"

  Now she's thirteen. And _he_ fell in love with her?? What a joke!

  With that, Lily buried her face into the puffy pillow and sobbed.

~ * * ~

  Lily walked down the stairs sleepily, yawning all the way. She had an odd dream about her being some detective and James being her partner in job. She grinned. Right, like she and James would ever work together! Hah! Still, that dream WAS odd. There was something that involve a group of twenty or so kids in a cafeteria, a wheelchair, a wand, walkie-talkies and cliffs. How did the cliff get into the café anyway?

  'Must've been Sirius and Spica's influence,' she groaned.

  'Of what?' James asked.

  'Damaging my brain,' Lily muttered. 'Rotten dream. Woke me up at five, six, seven-thirty and either. Ugh.'

  'Well, you seem much better this morning,' James said brightly. 'You were crying yourself to sleep last night anyway, so it's just no wonder that you had an odd dream.'

  Lily glared. Did he peeked into her room?

  'Can you fix me breakfast? Mum's not up yet,' Petunia said.

  'Who do you think I am, huh?' Lily growled. 'Make your own food, Petunia. You're nine already, for crying out loud!'

  'James?' Petunia said hopefully.

  'You've got to be dreaming, junior Evans. Hm, toast sounds nice for a morning like this.'

  'You two are going to make good but I can't eat it?' Petunia said with a horrified face. The two thirteen year olds nodded in reply. 'That's so unfair!!! MUM!!!!!!!!!!!! MOTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

  'Mum needs her rest, Petunia,' Lily said. 'Make your own tea and bread, because I don't care a tuppence for your stomach.'

  'Mummy!!! Lily is bullying me!!! Mum!!! Waaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!'

  'Shut up, Petunia,' James said. Petunia, obviously not pleased about being so casually ignored by the teenagers and Lisa, sprinted up the stairs before Lily and James could even think of stopping her.

  Petunia ran to her mother's room and threw the door open violently to the serene blue walls of the room. The curtains were not drawn, the lampshade was a little crooked, and on the bed, Lisa lay. Petunia dashed to her.

  'Mum, don't ignore me! Wake up, mummy, and scold them! They wouldn't fix me ANYTHING to eat!'

  'Petunia!' James yelled, running in.

  'Mum! Lily and James are bullying me!' she wailed. 'They're—'

  'Petunia Evans! GET OUT!' Lily hissed, pulling her sister away. Petunia grabbed at the door.

  'Mummy! Mummy, scold them!'

  Lisa barely even moved an inch. Lily, realizing the deathly silence, released her younger sister in shock and stumbled towards her mother's bed shakily. James followed closely. Petunia rushed to Lisa and began shaking her.

  'Mummy, wake up!!!! Scold them, mum!'

  The figure didn't move. With trembling fingers, Lily placed a finger under Lisa's nose. After about two minutes, she placed two fingers at her pale neck, where the pulse is.

  Lily's knees felt wobbly as they crumble beneath her. Her face was simply white, as if it has excessive powder on it to create a zombie effect.

  'James… oh, James…' she whispered, clinging onto her childhood friend for support. 'Please… take Petunia. Lock her out for a while…'

  James obediently did so. In a minute, a screaming, bawling, kicking Petunia was locked out of the master bedroom. The girl screamed and shrieked threats and words that should never cross a girl of her age's lips.

  'She… died…' Lily gulped. 'She died, James. Her- she's not moving- breathing and- and- no- no pulse and… oh, James, mother _died!_'

  'Um, should I call the ambulance?' the boy suggested weakly when Lily began sobbing quietly on his shoulder uncontrollably, a few chokes and gasps and sniffles were the only thing heard from her. 'Er, Lily?' She shook her head numbly and continued sobbing.

  'Lemme in!!! LET ME IN!!!! MUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!' Petunia yelled, banging the door with a lamp. James quietly opened the door, just as the lamp smashed onto the door with a shattering clatter of porcelain. Lily proceeded to cry upon her mother's lifeless form.

  'NOOOOO!' Petunia wailed, when she saw Lily crying, knowing at one – at her instincts – that their mother had left.

~*~

AN: oh my, I'm so, so sorry for not posting!!!! *cries* I mean to, but I hadn't the chance to complete everything! I was horrendously busy and dad kept on dragging me to all sorts of places that haven't got any computer! I honestly promise though, that I'll do my best to get _The Marauding Five: Year Six_'s chapter three out as soon as I can. Honestly! Tomorrow, just for being late at posting! Please, forgive me for posting so late!!! I don't intend to do so!!!! *wails out loud* and er, two more chapters to this story. Oh joy, anyone who took PMR [a.k.a. my OWLs :P] know when the results will be announced? Oh dear, I'm so worried!

And I hope I didn't offend anyone… I'm really sorry for not completing this earlier. *bows head in shame as she waits for people to start throwing rotten tomatoes at her*

 And perhaps, you might want to review to make me feel better? I'm rather upset these days. I know I probably don't deserve it, but I'm just rather off-colour. Which explains why this chapter is short. Have a merry belated Christmas, and Noelle… HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!!!!!


	4. Recovery

**And They Live Happily Ever After…?**

  Lily crouched herself at the dark corner in her room, hugging her legs. She let out muffled yells and cries of sadness and passionate anguish in dismay, planting her face on the beanbag she was lying upon. The bright sun outside her window never pitied her a single bit at all. Its rays fell upon the glass windows to Lily's rooms cheerfully.

  She wished that it would rain now. A storm perhaps, so that she wouldn't be the only one crying. The raindrops will, at least, cry with her until she is drowned in the water of her own tears. A pool was already forming and seeping through the soaked beanbag and onto the parquet floor. Too bad, unlike some… _lucky people's situation of sadness – in which the sky had pitied upon the death of their parents or conditions or whatever it is that made them cry and rained for them – Lily had a very cheerful sun outside. And not a speck of fluffy cloud was to be seen at all._

  There, those pesky neighbouring kids laughing again! This whole Earth seemed to be against her!

  _Knock, knock!_

  'Get lost! I'm doing my homework!' Lily yelled at the door, trying her best to disguise her sobbing voice into one of annoyance and succeeded. She mentally congratulated herself at a job well done.

  'Lily. Can I come in, please?' Petunia's tearful voice whispered timidly.

  'Use the attached toilet! I'm NOT leaving my spot!' Lily called again, sniffing hard at her blocked nose. A scamper of footsteps was heard and James, who was downstairs and obviously heard Lily's remark, yelled at Petunia to not touch his things. In two seconds, the doorknob turned and Petunia burst in, crying hysterically.

  'Oh, Lily, I can't believe mum died! Right after dad, too!' she wailed at once. 'How _could she? Why can't we save her, Lily? I read in books that witches and wizards can bring back the dead! Can you, Lily? Please? I don't want her to die! I promise, I swear and I hereby vow that if you ever do, I'll be a good girl! I will, I will!'_

  Lily just choked and sobbed even more. She embraced her younger sister, whom, just a few hours ago had quarrelled over breakfast. The two sisters hugged each other for support for perhaps the very first time in their life. Their salty tears mingle and dripped from their eye-sockets uncontrollably. Such was their condition when James came up to look on them.

  'Petunia? Lily?' he said gently. Petunia let out a bawl and Lily another choke and sniff.

  'Er, would you like some tea?' James suggested. 'You hadn't eaten lunch and breakfast, so I fixed you some tea. Cake, pineapple tarts and a steaming cup of rose flavoured tea. Promised delicious.' Petunia pulled away from Lily and nodded numbly before going out. James stared at Lily. She hadn't budged and was sniffing quietly, staring at seeming nothingness past her cupboard.

  'Hello? Lily? There's a pineapple tart your mum baked three days ago.' At the word "mum", Lily began a fresh new start of tears and began wailing loudly again. James bit his lips in uncertainty before deciding that she needed a hug. He hugged her.

  'Go. Away,' Lily whispered in clutters. 'I want to be alone.'

  'Lily, go and eat.'

  'It's not your mother who had just died,' Lily said bitterly. Those words stung into James's heart painfully. Still, he recollected himself.

  'Lily, my parents died a long time ago,' he said slowly. 'I didn't cry, so you shouldn't too, tomboy.'

  'I am NOT a tomboy. Not, _not, **not. Get that into that thick skull of yours, James Potter, and stop bugging me. I'm not in a mood to come up with an insult!'**_

  'You need to be in a mood to come with an insult? Now that's new… I didn't know that.'

  'Well now you do. So shut up and buzz off to the flowers and honey.'

  'I happen to hate honey,' James reminded.

  'Then just leave.'

  'Lily, please, eat _something!'_

  'Oh yes, I'll certainly eat YOU if you don't leave now,' Lily said with a glare.

  'No, eat something edible, please, not me.'

  'No! My mother just died!'

  'And you're actually planning to fast?' James said sarcastically. 'I know how you feel, Evans, because I'd gone through it. You'd probably cried enough to fill a bathtub already!'

  'I want to fill my room,' Lily said sourly, sniffling.

  'Don't be ridiculous!' he chided. 'If you cry any longer, your tears from tear factory – or whatever those weird scientist call them – will be empty and…' He paused dramatically for a thought. 'Do you know what'll happen?' Lily sniffed.

  'No. What?'

  'Blood.'

  'Oh?'

  'Blood!'

  'Yes, but what about this blood and tears and eyes and this weird factory of yours?'

  'Blood will flow from your eyes, because the tears is all used up,' James said easily. 'Imagine Sirius's face! You can see it transform from orange to yellow to green to blue to red to purple and maybe, if he decide it as his finale, black. Or was it white? I can't place, really.'

  Lily let out a little giggle. Sirius had a phobia for blood. 'He'll faint again, then.' James smiled broadly.

  'Yep! And you look nicer if you smile. Better than that long face.'

  'Are you trying to implement that my smile is just as dark as I look with a frown?' Lily said with a glare.

  'Er, no, but I've been trying to tell you that you shouldn't cry anymore,' James said helpfully. 'Petunia needs your help to get through this, you being her one and only – um, _hated – relative.' He brushed some of her tears away. 'Look at me! I don't even have anyone to comfort me when __my parents died! You didn't help, calling me an idiot.'_

  'You're right. Petunia needs more bullying and pushing around. And far worse insults that I had given you when your parents died,' Lily said, wiping the traces of tears off her smudged cheeks. 'I can't let her turn into a spoil brat! I mean, look! She can't even make her own breakfast!'

  'Exactly!' James cheered. 'See how much insults you missed when you cry? Hah, I bet you forgot time factor, huh?'

  'I don't!' Lily snapped.

  'Anyway, I place some cockroach cluster in the tarts,' James said casually with a devious grin. 'Wonder if she realizes it yet…?'

  Lily raised her eyebrow. 'The tarts that you MEANT to make me go down to devour?'

  'Technically and literally and whatever-ly yes,' James trilled happily.

  'And you're meaning to purposely laugh at me later, right?'

  'Yup! Too bad, you didn't eat it.'

  'Too good, because I'll personally rearrange your face, James,' Lily said, puffing her cheeks childishly. James's expression softens incredibly as his brown eyes turn to Lily's watery green ones.

  'Lily, I—'

  'YEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!' Petunia was heard shrieking. 'COCKROACH EGGS!?'

  'Looks like you got her,' Lily said in amusement. James held tightly to Lily's wrist, indicating that he still has something to talk about. Lily fumed before turning to him. 'What?'

  'Lily, I still love you,' he whispered. 'I'm still waiting for you, because- because I know you'll love me, too. Someday.' Lily felt rigid at the word "love." The hated thing that had killed her mother. The cause of so much of anguish she is suffering now.

  'Well,' she said in a hard tone, 'someday isn't today, I think. Maybe sometime, oh say, a hundred years, yes?'

  James hugged her and tenderly laid his lips upon hers. Lily, having no place to run because she is cornered (cupboard on her right, wall on her back and left. Only way out: James standing in between escape and her closed space) could barely do anything. She was, after all, still weak in spirit despite the few laughs she had had. Besides, James was much taller by a head, bigger and stronger than her. Talk about gender unfairness. Why can't God just make them equal??

  After a few seconds of regaining some mental strength, Lily whispered, 'No. Please, James, don't. I… don't really want to hate you at this time, after all that had happened.'

  'Lily, I know you love me. Deep down, and you know it too,' James said solemnly. 'You just don't want to admit to it. You don't want to say it out, because… because you're afraid. Aren't you, Lily?' He stared deep into her eyes. Lily turned away.

  'No. I'm not afraid of anything. Go away, James. I don't want to hate you. Not now. Not when I know I need support from you to get over this.,' Lily said monotonously.

  'Is there anything wrong?' James asked quietly. 'You know you can trust me.'

  'I… know I can,' the girl gulped slowly. 'But I can't… I don't love you. I won't. I- I'm sorry, James, but it's better if you find another girl. Thanks, anyway, for comforting me. I'm really, really grateful for your help.'

  Lily tried to move away, but, as condition sees it, James is still blocking her only way out. Unless of course, if Lily had decided to do some spirit travelling (in which she DEFINITELY do not know how and might lead herself to death right away) and let James freak out for accidentally murdering her in a psychotic way. Whatever. The detectives and doctors can figure that out themselves.

  'Tell me, Lily, is something bothering you? Is it because of your mother's death?' James asked in a caressing voice. Lily shook her head.

  'James, really, I don't want to hate you. You are being really annoying.'

  James bit his lips as his thoughts raced for a moment in a clockwork way. 'Let's see, is it- is it because of your father?'

  Lily gasped for a short moment. Jackpot, James!

  'I—well, no! Don't speak of me about him anymore! And- and if you really must have it, I have, well, I have exams. And I'm… still studying. I have to concentrate on my studies. And mum probably wouldn't approve of us, anyway,' Lily stammered rather uncertainly. 'Can I, um, go now?' James took a step back and Lily scurried off hurriedly.

  If only she knew how wrong she was when she said her mother wouldn't approve of them…

~ * * ~

  Lily, James and Petunia were only too glad to return to school. Christmas was as black as a blackhole and it was more of a funeral than a celebration. The three returned to their school right after Christmas, to not endure any more of the frustrating bleakness.

  'Hey!' Spica said, hugging Lily affectionately. 'I'm so sorry about your mother, Lily, but she has to go sometime, and it's either sooner or later.' Lily smiled wanly at her.

  'James! I miss you so much!' Sirius exclaimed when he saw James, arms loaded with his trunk and Owly's cage. 'I miss you so much dear boy, that I even pulled your Christmas crackers for you!' James's only reaction to that was to chase Sirius around the Hogsmeade station in mild anger, yelling hexes and hurling curses after the fleeing Black.

  'We have two new kids in our year,' Spica said cheerfully in hope to change the subject. 'And both of them are Gryffindors!'

  'Really?' James said, sitting on Sirius on the ground. 'Who are they?'

  'Get off me, James Potter! Lily, make him get off! GET OFF, James!!!!!!' Sirius yelled, kicking James off.

  'Oof!'

  'Yes, that's better, thanks. Now, as we were saying…'

  'I was saying,' Spica interrupted.

  'Whatever. Remus Lupin is a school transfer,' Sirius said. 'Neat kid with a wicked cool attitude of his own. He has mood swings though, so we'd better watch out for him! Peter Pettigrew just started school because he was quarantined for the past two years. Home-schooled, I heard. Oh, Professor Dippet—'

  'He resigned! Can you believe it???' Spica exclaimed.

  'Um, yes. He's been rather woolly these days,' James noted. 'He really ought to kick back and relax, once and for all.'

  'Who's the new headmaster?' Lily enquired.

  'Professor Albus Dumbledore,' the twins chorused.

  'What?! Then- then who's our Transfiguration teacher?' Lily exclaimed in horror. Professor Dumbledore had been the Gryffindors's Transfiguration teacher for a long time, and the Gryffindors are rather attached to him.

  'Professor McGonagall's taking all the Transfiguration classes from now on,' Spica said. 'She's going to take all the points from her own house if she ever catches us messing up! Talk abut dreaded horror.'

  They climbed onto the horseless carriage and Sirius pulled Lily's trunk up.

  'It's nightmare,' Lily and James exclaimed in unison.

~ * * ~

  'So James, have you reasoned to Lily, or had you taunted her so that she wouldn't listen to your reasons?' Sirius asked, rolling over on the bed. 'Oh, or maybe you had contented yourself with another girl?'

  'I rather _tried_ to reason with her,' James said, pulling his covers up. 'She said no.'

  'Oh? Why? Hormone-infested-teenager-aka-James-P got his non-hormone-infested-side irritating him?'

  James socked him with his spare pillow. 'Shut up! She just said—'

  'WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP??????' Tippy Gleste yelled in frustration. 'You both are driving me off the walls!!!'

  'You hadn't climbed the walls yet,' Peter Pettigrew yawned.

  'I'd rather **NOT** do that, Pettigrew,' Tippy glared.

  'Okay, you were saying?' Sirius said in a half whisper.

  'Lily said that she don't want to love me!' James murmured.

  'Want? I didn't know that you must _want_ to love.'

  'Okay, her case is different, happy? I don't know what to do, but just sit and wait patiently like a little good boy.' Sirius snickered. The idea of thinking James (or James thinking himself) as a good boy was disastrously funny.

  'Don't know why you would bother,' Sirius said. 'Look at the sky! The night's young and so are we! We're young and we have the whole life laid out in front of us! Listen to me, James: give it up on Lily. Just give it up.'

  'I can't!! Just can't!!! Sirius, I love her with all my heart!'

  'Umhm. Till you die because of your lack of love, eh?' Sirius said sarcastically. 'Is that how long you'll wait? Till death tear you apart? Or is it until she starts dating a geek?'

  'Forever.'

  'You can't be serious!!!'

  'I am!! As sure as I'm James Potter!'

  'Well, you're not, then,' Sirius said bluntly. 'You're not the James Potter that I know. You're _mad_. Absolutely mad. Worst than I am.'

  'Oh, great,' James said boringly.

  'SHUT UP!!!' Tippy yelled again. 'I'm trying to sleep here!'

  'Anyway, you're still as stubborn as ever,' Sirius sighed, shaking his head in resignation. 'Guess you're still James Potter, in a way. I just think that you've been watching too much of soap operas, movies and comics.'

~ * * ~

  Spica turned in bed. She's bored. Absolutely bored. She felt like doing something evil, but what? She turned to Lily's bed. Her childhood friend was tossing and turning in bed uneasily, murmuring something about dead mice pies and bloody wheat grass. Spica's lips tugged to a grin. She has just the perfect idea!

  'Lily,' Spica said, shaking her friend. 'Hey, get up. I want to talk to you.'

  'Huh?' Lily mumbled sleepily, raising her head to see Spica squatting by her bed bunk, quite ready to tickle her if she hadn't opened her eyes yet. 'What do you want, Spice?'

  'I want to talk to you! I said it already! Now get up!' she demanded.

  'Oh. Okay. What about,' Lily asked, yawning.

 'James. Love. And you,' Spica said, sitting herself on Lily's bed. Lily blinked at her blearily. Spica cleared her throat in a professional way. 'What do you think of James, Li?'

  'A moron?' Lily suggested, 'insulter, idiot, dope, enemy? In which aspect?'

  'As in, feelings.'

  'Hate,' Lily replied without thinking. Spica gaped dramatically.

  'How _could_ you, Lily? He loves you so much! From what Sirius had last said, James in heels-over-heads in love with you!' Spica said.

  'It's _heads_-over-_heels_,' Lily corrected.

  'Whatever! What I'm trying to pinpoint here is that James loves you. A lot, a lot, a lot,' Spica said reasonably.

  'Yeah right! He called me a tomboy,' Lily snapped.

  'For _only one, tiny, stupid, pathetic, six-lettered word_?!'

  'It's not some harmless, two syllables word! It's an insult!!! Insult to the **_GIRLS_**! He's been calling me that for so long! Would he – I repeat, WOULD HE – do that – or say that – to me if he loves me?' Lily glowered with rage.

  'It's a new way of expressing love,' Spica suggested hopefully. 'I mean, it's unique!'

  'Oh yes, in his dreams and yours, then. I hate him.'

  'Aah… and why do you hate him? He's been nice to you, right? And really sweet, too. So why can't you love him?' Spica asked, beginning to see a little of something she don't know. Of course, she's really seeing nothing. Just couldn't really place where this conversation is leading to.

  'He insulted me,' Lily said shortly.

  'That's _all_!'

  'He _kissed_ me without my permission,' Lily snapped. 'And besides, I have much better things to do than worry about some flunky emotion like love.'

  'Love is not a flunky, stupid emotion!' Spica said hotly. 'And if kisses need permission, it wouldn't be a pleasant surprise, then! But whatever. Love is still **_NOT_** a stupid, flunky, lousy emotion!!!!!'

  'It **is**. And he made fun of me! Said a tomboy like me'll never get a boyfriend… that no one will ever like me…' Lily paused, realizing that she had given out too much of herself. 'I will NEVER forgive him!!!' she growled, gritting her teeth.

  'Uhm, ya,' Spica said uncertainly, not sure of what to say. This conversation isn't really getting anywhere now. Just going in mere circles. And soon Spica won't be in the centre of it—she'll be running _around_ it.

  Welps. Sorry James, but it's all your fault.

  'Dad,' Lily whispered. 'Mum… suffered because of him. Died… of _depression_. Huh. If love does that, I would rather die happily than die worrying.'

  'Your dad's, um, dead, right?' Spica questioned timidly. Sensitive issue, sensitive issue… she reminded herself.

  'All I can say is good riddance,' the redhead said monotonously.

  Alright. Not sensitive AT ALL. Hope for you, Jimmy James. You'd better be a good boy (Spica smirked at the idea of James being a good boy) and show Lily that he's worth much more than dying for. Or whatever. Maybe give her happiness, blah. That's all Spica could place for anyway.

  'And…' Lily continued. Spica leant forward. The other girl yawned. 'I'm tired now, Spica. I know you can't sleep, but I can't sing you to sleep or tell you kiddy stories. Maybe you can raid the kitchens or something…?'

  'Oh, no! I feel like sleeping. Goodnight,' Spica greeted cheerfully, pulling out a notepad from her drawer to write some notes for James (or at least, what she could remember). 'And thank you,' she quipped quietly, scribbling furiously on her paper.

~ * * ~

  'Alright, you got them all?' Spica said.

  'Huh?' James said blankly. Spica sighed.

  'Weren't you listening? I was telling you why Lily hate and reject you!'

  'No.'

  Spica, in exasperation (and out of breath), thrusted the scrawly note into his hands. James stared at it curiously, trying to read the untidy chicken scrawl.

  'Take that,' Spica said. 'With the help of a magnifying glass, I reckon you can see the points I wrote. I got it out of Lily last month.'

  James raised his eyebrows in amusement. 'Month?'

  'Yes!! So what if Sirius and I are a month slow in sending and remembering notes?' Spica fumed irritably. The twins had always been a month slow in giving messages and dealing with important promises. No theory, but it comes to a conclusion that the two forget it (the message or whatever it really is) nearly instantly, and comes floating back in a month's time. This drew amusement for some time until people began realizing how annoying it is to send messages through them.

  'Er, that's not really my point,' James said reassuringly. 'I just want to know why you're doing it. There's a catch somewhere, right…?'

  'No!!! You're a friend of mine, and Sirius's best friend! Count yourself lucky, Potter.'

  James stared at the notes. He couldn't read anything, much to his relief. He placed it back into Spica's hands.

  'I prefer dealing my love life my own way, Spica. You can have it back. I want to be myself, not someone that Lily would rather,' James said honestly.

  'Aw, how honourable,' Spica cooed. 'So you don't want it?'

  'No.'

  'Fine then,' she said, shrugging, a smile placed upon her lips. 'I'll just burn this one.' She tossed the paper into the blazing fire in the fireplace, in which the hungry red flames licked at it at once.

  'I appreciate your help, all the same,' James said gratefully. 'Good to know someone supports me of this. You know your brother doesn't.'

  'Sirius is just a bit stupid and less serious in this sort of thing. He's a dolt, really. But if you change your mind about trying to – er – _court_ Lily, find me. I memorized everything she said to me,' Spica said with a triumphant smile on her face.

~*~

AN: er, yes. I'm sorry if I made anyone cry last chapter!!! Sure, Misty, you DID say that it's sign of good writing, but still…!!!! I made people cry! *sobs* I don't WANT to make anyone cry at all!!!!! Aaargh! Ahem. Um, anyway. I hope the last chapter hadn't damaged anyone's brain. And there's too much in this chapter to hardly try to specific it :P I'm really messy!

  Let's see… it's amazing that no one noticed that Remus and Peter hadn't made their show yet! I mean, three whole chapters WITHOUT them…! And no one noticed them at all! What happened? Oh well, at least I noticed it in time _ I might get _The Marauding Five _out sometime soon, but **after **I complete this fic, which has just one LAST chapter!!! 

  Ek, I typed this out fast! I mean, it's only five days from the last time I updated this fic and here I am, fourth instalment finished! oh, and nothing else to say. For the time being anyway. You'll see that I have loads to say in the next chapter.

 Um, review for me, please! Thank you very much, in advance! Happy new year!


	5. Happily Ever After...?

**And They Live Happily Ever After…?**

  Time had flown past the long, fruiting years of Hogwarts. Lily and James had just graduated from the school and are now waiting for their application to be a professor in Hogwarts to be granted. Lily was to take Muggle Studies and James Defense Against the Dark Arts. Spica Black had recently gotten engaged to her teenage heartthrob, Tippy Gleste. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigre had recently just started their jobs in the ministry, Magical Creatures Department.

  Now that both Lily and James are at home most of the time, constant yells were getting too constant for its own good, too, thanks to Petunia Evans's recent self-obsession. But that wore off after some time. Petunia eventually had to leave for school.

  Lily took pay from Spica for babysitting eight-year-old Cassiopeia Black because Spica simply couldn't stand the younger Black any longer.

  'And they live happily every after. The end,' Lily read to Cassie, her old fairytale book balanced on her lap. Cassie sighed.

  'I wish I'll get a prince like Cinderella did,' Cassie said wistfully. 'It'll be so romantic, wouldn't it, Lily?'

  Lily opened her mouth to reply, but a string of laughter beat her to it. Lily spun around in annoyance.

  'James, buzz off!' Lily snapped.

  'Buzzzzzzz,' James buzzed.

  'Get lost!'

  'Can't, because I don't feel lost!'

  'Well, just leave us alone! Go away!'

  'Don't want to!!! Haha, little Cassiopeia's exactly like Lily ten years ago!' James laughed. 'Who would've guessed that tomboy and Cassie had the same dream, huh? Ha ha ha ha ha!'

  Lily felt her face burning hotly with humiliation at James's teasing comment. She don't like being reminded on how she was when she was younger: no way! She gritted her teeth.

  'Shut up! You're not invited!' she snarled.

  'Touchy, touchy,' James teased, dancing away.

  That was all it took to trigger Lily's vindictive, very tomboy-ish and definitely unlady-like side. She placed Cassie (who was sitting on her lap with her) on the sofa before chasing after James madly. They jumped onto the sofas, danced on the table, raced to the kitchens, to the stairs, back to the sofas and then the table.

  Cassie watched in great amusement.

  'Tomboy, tomboy!' James sang, childishly pulling a face at Lily, which angered her even more. 'Lily is a tomboy, Lily is a tomboy! Hey Cass! I bet you don't know that!!!'

  'Get back here, Potter!' Lily shrieked, running to strangle him. However, before she reached him, she tripped over Cassie's teddy, Mittsgy, who was unfortunately in Lily's way. Lily fell onto the floor clumsily. Cassie let out a cry of dismay.

  'Mittsgy! You poor, poor thing!! Evil Lily!!!' she wailed, picking Mittsgy up. 'You're hurt! Oh my, I'll bandage you up!! Lily must be very, very heavy!!!' she remarked dramatically. With that, Cassie ran off to search for a first-aid kit box.

  'Hey!! What about me?? I sprained my ankle! And I am NOT heavy for my age and height!!!!' Lily yelled. Cassie ignored her. 'Sheesh. Stupid kid. I'll be sure I skin her later.'

  'Tomboy sprained her ankle,' James sang cheekily. Lily glared.

  'You're not helping. And my wand's in my cupboard,' Lily informed him dryly. 'Help me onto the sofa, please.'

  James stared. 'Are you talking to me?'

  'Yes, who else is present? I don't think Peeves had the notion to leave Hogwarts just to follow us home and torture us. Hurry up! I can't sit here like this all night!' Lily said impatiently.

  'Why not?'

  'Because I'll catch a cold and you'll have to take care of me. Now would you like that?' Lily demanded.

  'Maybe, maybe,' James considered.

  'Augh! You're hopeless! Pass me your wand, so I can heal myself!'

  'Don't you trust me to heal you?' James said, grinning. 'After all, it's my wand…'

  'No. You might make me break my arm. Or maybe make me grow an extra bone or something,' Lily replied curtly.

  James sighed before extending his arm. Lily grabbed it to pull herself up. Unfortunately, being on the ground increased her stablelity and Lily's bones are those of heavy types, since she's slim in figure and at an average height. The result: James fell on her.

  'Talk about accidents,' James groaned.

  'GET OFF ME!!!!!' Lily screeched.

  Being too near to Lily always disturbs James's self control. So much to Lily's horror and freaking surprise, James lean even closer and kissed her gently.

  'I'm still waiting, Lily,' James whispered into her ear. Lily blinked for a moment before realizing what he had said.

  'Oh, really? And what makes your ego think that my reply will be any different from the last time you asked me?' Lily said dryly.

  'Because school has ended and there'll be no more studies to keep your attention,' he replied. Lily fumed. So, he knew that! She racked her brains.

  'I'll be working soon,' she said matter-of-factly.

  'Soon isn't until September and it's only February,' James replied reasonably. 'And besides, I'll be at Hogwarts too. That is, if our applications are received.' Lily combed her cupboard of reasons again.

  'Well, I hate you!' she said brightly. Then added darkly, 'and your comment ten years ago won't help you! Hah!'

  'I take my words back. If I can't, I'll just say it again, in a different way,' James said humbly. 'I really don't think anyone would like you anymore, because you're going to be _my_ wife before they can even try it!' Lily refrained from smiling on that bit of twist of words.

  'Uhm…' Lily frowned in thought. She was pretty much out of reasons to reject him now. Just then, it struck to her mind. 'You called me a tomboy. Sure no one would want to marry one, eh? What d'you say now, James Potter?' the girl said smugly.

  'You're a good tomboy,' he grinned toothily. 'The best one ever! That's why I love you.'

  Lily nearly growled in anger at the word Love, but decided against it. After all, she hadn't that much of hatred towards that boring emotion anymore.

  'Also, you know you can count on me to NOT to be like your dad, because _my_ parents aren't that sort.'

  'Oh?'

  'People say that parents are what make the future parents?' James suggested, knowing full well that it sounded pathetic. 

  'Oh? Really?' So it did. He tried again.

  'Really,' he said firmly. 'So what do you say now, Lily? Will you marry me?'

  'Marry you?!' Lily shrieked in horror.

  'Yes, please?' James turned on his best puppy-dog eyes to her. Lily turned away, refusing to meet his eyes. He gently cupped her face so that she did. 'Will you, Lily? I swear, I won't be like your dad.'

  'Dad left me this house,' Lily said flatly. 'And all of the inheritence and so on.'

  'Okay, I won't be his BAD side,' James said faithfully. 'Does that mean that you will, now?'

  Lily refused to be beaten. 'How would I know? You can double-cross me anytime!' Lily shot.

  'Can I get Sirius to vouch for that?'

  'No!! He'll forget it in two days.'

  'C;mon, Li, you know I love you too much to do that,' James said pleadingly.

  'Huh! Well what about my sprained ankle?' Lily demanded, remembering that she's still on the floor and her ankle is still groaning painfully. James lying on top of her isn't making things better.

  'Oh,' James said, grinning goofily. He tapped on her ankle and murmured the magical words. 'Anything else?'

  'Will you get off me??'

  'Will you marry me???'

  'I don't… love you,' Lily said, rather choked.

  'Yes you do.'

  'I DO NOT LOVE YOU!' she yelled again, her voice quavering. James bit his lips.

  'Lily. Lily, look at me,' he said gently, holding her face firmly to face him. Her eyes were welled with tears and her nose a little runny. 'Lily, don't lie to me. I know you love me.'

  'You're not me,' Lily hissed.

  'No but I _know_ that you love me. Don't lie to yourself, Lily,' James said quietly, his eyes reflecting her hurt ones. 'I know you for all – er, _nearly_ all – of your life. Don't lie anymore…'

  Lily let out a sober cry before hugging James tearfully and sobbing. James froze awkwardly. He wasn't really expecting an outburst like this.

  'Er. Are you okay?'

  'Do I **_LOOK_** like I'm okay? WAAAAAAAH!' Lily cried.

  'No,' he said in agreement. 'But really, I don't get the "waah" part.'

  'Do not try funny things now!'

  'I'm not trying.'

  'Good, then.'

  And the next few minutes were full of Lily sobbing.

  'So will you marry me?' James asked her again after she had calmed down.

  Lily choked and hiccupped and sniffed. 'I- I will,' she muttered quietly. Her chokes and sobs faded.

  'Sorry? I didn't hear you Lily,' James said. That was impossible and could hardly be passed, because their lips were only about two to three inches apart, but James decided to enjoy himself a little.

  'I said yes!!! Now get off me!' Lily yelled in his ear, her normal state of mind returning to her. Grinning happily at his achievement, James stood up and helped his new fiancée up before kissing her passionately.

  'I'm glad that you had decided to say so,' he whispered. Lily smiled wanly.

  'See, Mittsgy? They _do_ live happily ever after!' Cassie said to her teddy, sitting on the sofa. The couple broke up at once with a jump.

  'Cassie! What on earth are you doing here?' Lily stuttered.

  'Warkh! It's not the end yet, Mittsgy!' Cassie cried. 'Lily decides to yell at narrator Cassiopeia Black and chase her to her room because it's way past her bedtime!!!'

  'Very right,' James said. 'So get back to your room, Cassie!' The girl got up reluctantly.

  'Well Mittsgy, how do you like my part of the story?' Cassie said to her bear. 'Do you think Sirius and Spica'll want to hear it? They do? Cool! I can be the next storyteller!! Yarnspinner on the breaking record of mark!!!'

  'Get back to bed!' Lily called. 'And not a word to your brother and sister!!!'

  'Cassiopeia Black wins the away of great story…'

  'CASSIOPEIA BLACK!!!' Lily and James both yelled at once.

  'Umhm,' Spica said. 'Just as Cassie had said. Lovely, isn it brother dear?'

  'Spectacular,' Sirius said happily, his camcorder on his lap. Lily and James spun around in surprise.

  'When did you all come?' James stammered.

  'Well, we just returned from work,' Remus said cheerfully, 'when we got a phone call from Cassie about watching a great movie at your place. We rushed here, hoping that it had just started.'

  'Sirius brought the camcorder because he said that he want to record how Lily and James fight over the volume,' Peter added.

  'Cassie is going to regret her choices,' James gritted.

  'So regret it, because her life will be far worst than Petunia's!' Lily vowed in agreement. Sirius let out a wolf whistle to remind them that he's still there.

  'The movie was _superbly_ down, Prongs!' he said, laughing. 'Would you like to see it again?' The group of four on the three-seated sofa rushed off  hurriedly through the door, knowing that the tape will sooner be destroyed than watched again.

  'And they live happily ever after. Or at least, for now,' Cassie said softly from the stairs. 'The end! I really should get an award for storytelling, huh Mittsgy? Yeppers. I knew you'd agree with me.'

~*~

Disclaimers: All characters but Spica Black, Cassiopeia Black, Tippy Gleste, Lisa Evans, Harold Gish [appeared only once in chapter 1], Owly the (Popular) Owl, Mittsgy the Teddy and Billy Evans [only mention, no appearance] belong to Joanne Kathleen Rowling's **Harry Potter** series.

Claimers: Spica Black, Cassiopeia Black [aka Cassie/Cass], Tippy Gleste, Lisa Evans, Harold Gish, Owly the (Popular) Owl, Billy Evans, Mittsgy the Teddy and the characters's personality and appearance belong to me, as did the plot and story and whatever else I'd forgotten. Oh, philosophy mine is included too.

AN: Da-dang!!!!!!! IT'S **_FINISHED_**!!!!!!! I'm a genius—not! So, is it less stupid than Masquerade or… maybe better? I don't know. I haven't had anyone reading this work before I posted it. So, I'd finished it and I'm not going to make any comments about why this chapter's short o_O how can I? After all, I couldn't make it drag all the time and I'd been rather rushed too! Eeps. Is it rushed??? I hope not…

  The nice, nice people who reviewed for me, thank you very much!!!! Noelle, Misty Alanna Potter, Britz, ~*Crystal Lily*~, AmiAmiNSusu, Silverfire, NAPPA, Satans Little Princess, Naeginnie6, Peppermint Patty, Nettey Potter, Sweet Thang, Parselmouth Majere, tigerlilyanncp, KittyKat, hazel dreamer, The Mad Monkey with the Magnifying Glass, Saphire, Quack Quack 88, JunJun, annamananna, Star Fish, *pRiNcEsS*, The Dreamkeeper, nina, tyrena22, WolfieGrl, Alexandra, betina, FireMaster, ole' green eyes, Minilioness, O'Haragal, Pschan_88 [evil girl—refused to review again!! ^_-] and jinskid3: Thank you!!!!!

  And yes, I list every single person :P unless, of course, the review's after this chapter… that I couldn't add! Some people never review after they last review, but I just couldn't bring myself to care, because I was happy that I was reviewed!! :P pathetic, aren't I??? Er, yes, I suppose so *cries, wondering why is she getting so over-dramatic over these stuff*

Spica is pronounced Spy-ka or Spike-a or however you want the spelling to be! :P and you can all dearly wish for the sequel, because there would be none unless I'd finished my _The Marauding Five_ and am bored to death ^_^ which *thinks for a while* I think I posted it with this chapter… I'd better check.

  Thank you so much for reading and bearing with me for this whole fic! *bows traditional Japanese style* if you don't mind, please review for me, too…? Thank you!

The mad bunny at her crazy "romantic" schemes again…

()_()  
( '.' )~* bunny chan


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